


Never Give In

by MissSparkles, Primus_child



Category: Transformers - All Media Types, Transformers Animated (2007)
Genre: F/F, F/M, M/M, Multi, Single Parents, Sticky Sexual Interfacing
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-09-07
Updated: 2020-03-24
Packaged: 2020-10-12 00:33:35
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 4
Words: 8,939
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20555279
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MissSparkles/pseuds/MissSparkles, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Primus_child/pseuds/Primus_child
Summary: In many stories, Optimus is raped by Megatron and forced to be his slave. But what if he refused to give up, what if he didn't fall in love with his abuser. Follow Optimus as he runs from Megatron, along with a precious cargo he can't risk Megatorn taking. Aided by his friends, he hopes to find a new home where his enemies can't find him but how long can that last?Read on to find out.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> A story originally posted on Fanfiction.com, something different I wanted to try. I thought it would be interesting to have one of those enslaved stories where the slave doesn't fall in love with their captor. 
> 
> If you enjoyed this, please leave a comment.

Megatron smirked as he listened to his top spy gave his report. The spy wasn’t able to do this as often as he’d like but every time he did report, it was always to give useful information. There was no doubt about it, Shockwave was a valuable Mech, so adaptable and yet so loyal, the ideal solider.

Sure, being in the Autobot secret service did mean they had to make sacrifices so Shockwave could keep his privileged position as LongArm Prime but it mattered not. He was prepared to make those sacrifices especially as the rewards were so great. The call he was currently taking was important as Shockwave would be unable to contact him for quite a while after so it was necessary he take this now.

He was always the one who talked to Shockwave, he didn’t trust anyone else and he preferred to hear the report first hand. Secondhand just wasn’t acceptable, particularly as he could never be certain nothing had been held back. So, despite the fact this call didn’t have the best timing, he still sat back in his chair and listened with a smile.

“I’m afraid that’s all there is for the moment, my Lord,” Shockwave finished respectively.“I know the information’s not much but I have a feeling it will become very important.”

“Thank you Shockwave, as always you serve me well,” Megatron said in his gruff sounding voice, his lips quirked slightly in a smile.

Seeing how pleased his Lord was about something and figuring it wasn’t due to the report, Shockwave said.

“My Lord, if I might inquire, you seem very pleased about something, I take it things are going well on your end?”

Megatron sighed slightly.

“The War effort remains much the same here Shockwave, like thing on Cybertron. We still search for the AllSpark and have no leads as such yet.”

But then his smile widened.

“But yes, something..._.personal_ has happened.”

Shockwave politely waited for his master to tell him what this was, and Megatron didn’t disappoint.

“I recently took an Autobot slave and he has just Sparked a strong Mechling,” Megatron said, the proud unmistakable in his voice.

“Congratulations, Lord Megatron,” Shockwave said, his tone full of satisfaction for his leader’s good fortune.

“Thank you,” Megatron said with a smug smile. “I wasn’t sure if it would work, I have had, shall we say, _disappointments_ in the past.”

And it was true, none of his previous_ partners_ had produced so much as a Femme. Naturally, a Mech was what he’d desired but at least a Femme would have been a start. But not only had this latest attempt succeeded first time, but his little Autobot was rather delicious. He was a little on the small side but not as small as some Autobots and very resilient.

“Have you thought of a designation, if you don’t mind me asking Lord Megatron?” Shockwave politely inquired and Megatron grinned.

“His name is Valour and while he does have blue optics, he has the coding to become a strong Decepticon,” Megatron said proudly, another reason he was so happy.

Valour seemed to have taken after both his creators in the best possible ways. He appeared to have his Carrier’s colouring as well as his optics but this didn’t bother Megatron. As long as he had good code and received the proper training, he would grow into an heir Megatron could be proud of.

“I am thinking of Bonding with this Autobot, he will produce many more offspring for me and keep my berth warm.”

Shockwave nodded in approval of Megatron’s decision.

“That is excellent news, it will greatly rouse morale to know that our great leader has procured a mate and Sparked a healthy son.”

“Indeed, I am planning to announce this in a few cycles time,” Megatron confirmed with another smug smirk.

Shockwave nodded before his long neck twisted as he suddenly turned his head. Looking back at Megatron, he said.

“I must go now, Lord Megatron but once again, I offer my congratulations.”

Megatron inclined his head as Shockwave morphed back into LongArm Prime before the connection fizzled and then cut. Pleased, he got to his feet and went over to the view station to gaze out into space.

They were currently passing through an asteroid field but it was of no concern to him. His Warship’s shield easily deflected the small to medium sized asteroids and it was easy enough to steer past the large ones. Sometimes, his men liked to practise their shooting on the asteroids but they wouldn’t be messing about this cycle.

At least not in that way, he was thinking a small celebration was in order, since his first son had been Sparked this cycle. Just as he was deciding which High Grade vintage he himself would sample later on, two arguing Mechs came through the door.

The first was his annoying, backstabbing Second, Starscream, his high pitched voice grating in the previously blissful silence. Sometimes, he wondered why he bothered with that traitorous Seeker but the Mech would undoubtedly be even more of an annoyance if he tried banishing him. Not to mention, he had the damnedest luck when it came to surviving mortal blows.

The second Mech was someone he distrusted almost as much as Starscream but sadly, this Mech was too useful to deactivate. His name was Swindle and he dealt in, well, just about anything. If you wanted it, he could get it, for a high price. And if someone else was willing to pay higher, he’d go to them while pretending he was still going to deal with you.

He had no idea what the two were arguing about but it was probably Swindle trying to sell Starscream something.

“I’m telling you Starscream, this will give you the smoothest shine on your armour, you try this, you’ll never want to go back to ordinary wax,” came Swindle’s smooth, conniving voice.

“For the last time, I’m not interested.....oh, Lord Megatron, I didn’t see you there,” Starscream said, his snarl changing into an oily smile as he gave Megatron a mocking bow.

“What do you want, Starscream?” Megatron demanded coolly, he didn’t need the purple and grey Seeker spoiling his good mood.

“I was escorting him,” Starscream said, jerking a pointed claw at Swindle who already had his salesmen smile on his face.

“Why Megatron, how good to see you,” Swindle began as Megatron resisted the urge to roll his optics.

“What is it?” growled Megatron, forcing Swindle to get to the point.

“Well, you know that Shuttle I sold you......?”

“We’ve already paid, you’d better not be implying there’s something wrong with it,” Megatron said dangerously, causing Swindle to say quickly.

“No, no, it’s exactly what you wanted, complete with cloaking device, enough storage compartments for any number of objects....”

“I know what’s in it,” Megatron almost snarled in anger. “Get to the point, Swindle.”

Holding up his hands in a pacifying gesture, Swindle said.

“I gave you what you wanted, there’s nothing wrong with it. However, there are several extras that you didn’t ask for that I’d be happy to add on....”

Megatron really did roll his optics, he should have known Swindle just wanted to sell him some more stuff. It was so typical of him, always trying to add on extras so he could make a bigger profit.

“You have five breems,” he growled, there was a chance Swindle had something he’d want.

“Alright,” Swindle said happily as he started listing what he had and just what they could do.

Megatron only half listened, he was imaging what it would be like once his soon to be mate was recovered and he could take him to his berth. Obviously, tonight was out of the question and the next few nights would be as well, he wasn’t stupid enough to mate with a bot that’d just given birth.

But once he was recovered, Primus, the fun they’d have. He’d frag that pretty little Mech until he couldn’t move, let alone walk. Just like all those times before he was too far gone with Valour too risk it.

“.....There’s also some protective camouflage paint that you might want, I know it’s only dark gray at the moment but....”

“Does this Shuttle have two dorsal fins, one larger than the other?” Starscream suddenly asked, he’d been staring out the view screen.

“Why, yes, it does,” Swindle said in surprise, only Megatron had seen the Shuttle. “How do you know that?”

“Because it’s currently heading towards that asteroid,” Starscream said lightly, pointing a clawed finger.

Megatron spun around, his mouth dropping in horror as he saw that Starscream was right, there was the Shuttle, heading for open space. For a few astro seconds, he couldn’t move, unable to process what he was seeing. Who would have the outright gall to take that Shuttle, who would dare?

“Prime!” he roared, shoving Swindle out of the way as he charged out of the room, Starscream at his heels.

He headed straight to the Med Bay, there was a chance he was wrong, he had to be sure.

He skidded into the Med Bay, his optics widening as he took in the sight of the Medic lying motionless on the ground. Beyond him, there was a stained and empty berth where he’d left his mate to be. And the little incubator beside that berth.....

“No,” he whispered as he saw it to be empty.

“He’s escaped,” Starscream stated, sounding so shocked, he forgot to gloat about his leader’s failure.

“We can still get him back,” Megatron snarled, charging out of the room to the Control centre.

As soon as he got there, he grabbed the confused Mech at the controls and threw him away. He then started typing away, trying to get a lock on the small Shuttle. Unfortunately, because of the asteroid field, this was impossible, the ship just kept locking on them. All he could do was aim in the Shuttle’s direction and try to catch it before it got away.

He cursed, recalling that the Shuttle had could Warp, it was why he’d bought it from Swindle. But not just Warp to one place, it could Warp to multiply places in order to throw off pursuit. His bought technology was being used against him.

No, he was not going to allow Prime to steal Valour, not his first born son who had so much potential.

He realised there might only be one way to get them both back and that was reasoning with Prime. So, he quickly opened a comm. channel to the Shuttle and tried to calm himself down so he wouldn’t scare Prime away.

“Prime, where are you going with our son?” he asked, putting worry and concern into his voice.

“Away from you,” came the cool reply and he thought he heard a little chirp in the background.

“Prime, you can’t take him away from me, he’s my son,” Megatron pleaded, knowing yelling threats wasn’t going to do the trick.

That Shuttle was almost into open space with several asteroids between it and Megatron’s Command ship, he couldn’t let them get away. He had to play it cool, convince Prime he was better off coming back.

“He’s also my son, and you’re not a fit to raise him.”

“How can you say that?” Megatron demanded. “He’s my son, of course I’m fit to raise him, I love him.”

He grimaced for such an Autobot statement but it was true he cared about the little Mechling and desperately wanted him back.

“Maybe but you have not once demonstrated your ability to care for anyone but yourself,” Prime replied harshly and Megatron gritted his teeth.

“Optimus,” he said softly, using the Prime’s first name. “I know things haven’t been....easy between us but I want to make this work. We have a son now, a son we should be raising together. He should not be separated from his own Sire like this.”

There was a pause and then Prime said.

“You’ve never called me Optimus before.”

“I’m sorry,” Megatron quickly said, even as he felt Starscream sneer but he didn’t care. “We’ve been overly formal with each other, I didn’t feel comfortable calling you Optimus. But now, I want to make you my mate, I want to get to know you better.”

“You didn’t want to know me better whilst I was carrying Valour,” Prime said coldly. “Never once did you ask anything about me, you never took the time to get to know me though you could have. All you were interested in was my valve and my ability to carry an heir.”

“I shouldn’t have left you alone,” Megatron said, ignoring the points Prime had made. “I thought you and Valour were asleep, I should have stayed by your side, made sure you had everything you needed. You’re tired, you worked so hard to bring Valour into this universe. I realise this is all new and frightening, I understand you panicked.”

Putting on his best, most convincing voice, he said softly. “If you come back now, we’ll say no more about it. You’ll get the medical attention you need, Valour can get a nice bottle of Energon and be back in his incubator. You won’t be in trouble, we’ll talk about the future, you have nothing to fear, Optimus.”

There was another pause and then Prime said. “Only when I’m about to escape, do you even pretend you care about me.”

“Optimus....”

“No,” Prime snapped. “You just don’t get it do you? I do not consider a rapist and someone who abusers their mate to be a suitable role model for my son. I’m doing this because I want Valour to have the best chance at life and if that means he never sees you again........then so be it.”

“Prime,” Megatron yelled as the ship picked up the tell tale signs of the Shuttle powering up. “If you leave, I swear I will hunt you don’t and take Valour away from you. You could have had it all but if you leave now, you’ll have _nothing.”_

“A risk I’m happy to take,” was the last thing he heard from Prime before the Shuttle’s image shuddered and then disappeared.

The last thing Starscream heard as he beat a hasty retreat was Megatron’s roars of pure rage and grief.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for all the comments and kudos, I really appreciated it. This chapter is a little short but others will be longer.

Optimus leaned back with a sigh as the Shuttle made the jump, Megatron’s last words echoing in his processor. He knew that Megatron would likely carry out that threat if he was ever recaptured by the Decepticon Warlord, he truly would be separated from his little son.

But what Megatron didn’t seem to realise, that would have happened, even if he’d stayed.

Oh sure, while Valour was a Sparkling, Optimus would be very much involved in bringing him up but that would change as he grew. Because Megatron would start to teach him about Decepticon ways and then start to train him. Optimus would see less and less of his son until eventually Valour was taken away for good, to be made into a Decepticon solider.

Optimus growled, Megatron would lie and pretend all he wants about them being a family but that’s what would happen. But no doubt the Decepticon leader would think Optimus would be content as long as he kept bearing Sparklings. Yes, he’d bare them, raise them while they were Sparklings and then watch as they were taken away.

Yeah, that was totally the life he envisioned for himself.

** _<Warning, energy levels dropping, loss of vital fluids, status lock imminent, warning>_ **

Optimus grimaced as his systems read his damage reports, he was in a bad way. The only treatment he’d received had been while Megatron was still in the room, which were some painkillers and a quick repair of tore fuel lines to stop him bleeding to death.

He didn’t blame the medic, he hadn’t given the poor Mech a chance to take care of him properly. As soon as Megatron had left the room, he’d come out of his supposed recharge and knocked up the medic with a hard punch. After grabbing and sub spacing a few pieces of equipment, he’d hurriedly wrapped up Valour in a blanket and taken him away.

It had pained him to take his newborn son out of that incubator, he really should have remained in it. But he’d know he’d never get a chance like this, Megatron’s guard was lowered and he had to take it. They’d all thought he was out of it and he used his belief to its fullest extent.

But by Primus, it hadn’t been easy running or hobbling from the Med Bay, he’d just given birth for Primus’s sake. But he’d had no time to worry about the Energon and fuel dripping behind him, he had to get out of there. And luckily for him, he’d overheard Megatron boosting about a new Shuttle he’d bought, one with a lot of special features.

The two that had caught his attention was despite its size, it could Warp and it had a cloaking device. Two things that would make his escape a reality and so far, that’s exactly what it was.

He smiled grimly, Megatron had been planning on using this against the Autobots, as a spy’s Shuttle. But in the end, the Shuttle with all its gadgets had been used against Megatron before he could even take it for a test drive.

“Revenge is sweet they say,” he chuckled darkly before suddenly coughing as spasms of pain hit him.

“Damn it,” he gasped, dragging himself over to a berth, the auto pilot could take care of things for now.

Even though, he did have a plan as to where he’d go, for now, he just wanted to shake off any pursuit Megatron might mount against him. He just needed to fix himself up a bit, make sure Valour was alright and then head for safety.

“Hey there,” he said softly to the chirping bundle currently resting in a medical capsule.

It wasn’t as good as an incubator but it was definitely better than nothing. He was confident or at least hopeful, that Ratchet would have enough medical knowledge to take care of his little Valour.

He gave a sardonic smile, like just about everything these last few deca-cycles, he hadn’t been allowed to choose Valour’s name. Megatron had just gone ahead and named him, as soon as he was free from his Carrier. But thankfully, Optimus actually quite liked the name, he just wished Megatron had at least asked him if he liked it.

He might not have had a choice but it would have been nice to pretend he did. It just would have felt so much better, rather than feeling utterly helpless about what was happening. Megatron could never understand just how he’d felt when his body was used again and again, being forced to give and never receiving anything in return.

He shuddered before forcing that thought down, he didn’t want to dwell on it.

So, he started trying to clean himself up, after making sure Valour was okay for the moment. He knew that later, once he was safe, the shock of being a single parent would sink in but for now, he was calm. He was going to escape from Megatron completely and then he and Valour and perhaps his friends would go into hiding.

And there they would stay until Valour was old enough to take care of himself. And better yet, be able to defend himself against his brutal Sire. He hoped his friends would come although he wasn’t going to demand them come. But somehow, he felt they would, none of them were going anywhere, stuck with the dead end task of clearing space bridges.

Well, as long as Ratchet could help him take care of Valour, which would be something.

“Urgh,” he grunted as he started trying to wipe away the Energon dripping down his legs.

He grimaced, he just didn’t have enough medical knowledge to help himself. And of course, it was damn difficult trying to attend to himself with only minimal supplies around him. He was so tempted to take a sedative and just go to sleep, allow his self repair systems to take care of the damage.

But no, he couldn’t sleep, not until he knew he and Valour were safe.

He checked his body, trying to determine if there were any serious problems. He couldn’t see anything but knew that at the very least, if he didn’t get proper medical attention soon, he would just get weaker and weaker until he fell into status lock.

As Valour made a gurgling noise, he sighed and said softly.

“Not even a cycle old and already your Amma’s in trouble. Whatever are you going to do with me?”

The little red and blue Sparkling just giggled, waving a little fist in the air as Optimus chuckled.

“That’s what I thought.”

With another sigh, he pinched a few torn wires and used a small tool to seal them shut. He winched, it was painful but needed to be done. Ratchet could sort it out, Ratchet could sort out anything medical. Knowing he was about to start rambling, he quickly turned his attention to something else.

Stiffly, he looked down at his Sparkling who was still wide awake and interested in everything around him. He smiled, he was glad Valour wasn’t crying though he would rather he had a nice sleep, then he wouldn’t have to worry so much. He wondered how well he’d cope when Valour did get upset, would he manage to calm him down.

Or would he be utterly hopeless and have to rely on his team to help him out.

Optimus groaned, he didn’t want to think about that, he didn’t want to start believing he’d be a bad parent. No matter what, he did not want to end up in a situation where he’d have been better off staying with Megatron. He snorted, trying to imagine Megatron dealing with a crying Sparkling, he’d probably just hand him to Optimus and leave the room.

Yeah, Megatron would be there for all the good bits and never for the bad bits. He Optimus, would have to deal with everything, teaching his son right from wrong, comforting when he was upset and scolding when he was naughty or reckless. He ruefully thought of Bumblebee, sometimes he felt like a parent to that hell raiser but suspected Bumblebee would be a walk in the park after raising Valour. Ah well, maybe he could take up ratchet throwing, Ratchet said it did wonders to relive stress.

He suddenly jumped, the Shuttle had come out of a Warp and had promptly gone into another one. Who knew where they were going to end up, he was just letting the computer chose random spots, so as to make it much harder for Megatron to track him.

Only when he felt satisfied Megatron wouldn’t be able to follow them, would be go seek out his friends.

He looked down at the floor, the last time he’d seen them, he’d been telling them to run for it while he held off an attacking Decepticon force. They hadn’t wanted to, they’d been trying to fight but as more arrived, Optimus had pulled rank and made them leave. He’d carried on fighting until he was brought down.

That was when he was taken to Megatron.

He clenched his fists, that dark Mech had sneered down at the bound captive before declaring that he was going to deal with him_....personally. _This involved a long but not long enough trip to Megatron’s quarters. And there, the two bots discovered that Megatron liked him a lot on the berth.

“Frag it,” he hissed before glancing at Valour as though the Sparkling might understand.

Thankfully, the Sparkling’s attention wasn’t on him, he was still looking very wide awake. Optimus smiled before leaning over and kissing his little son, saying very softly.

“I’m just going to check on things, I’ll be back in a moment.”

So saying this, he got up and made his wincing way to the cockpit. So far, they’d made good progress and everything was functioning as it was supposed to. It was just as well Megatron had already bought this or there might have been a nasty surprise waiting for Optimus when he first took off.

But the Decepticon leader would have made sure he wasn’t being cheated when he bought this very expensive Shuttle and for that, Optimus was very thankful. He’s memorised his team’s planned route of space bridges and his plan was to go to the one they should be fixing this lunar cycle.

He was sure they would be, after being captured by the high command of the Decepticons, his friends wouldn’t have had a hope of rescuing him. And even if they called for help, they themselves wouldn’t be involved in the search and rescue. So, they’d be forced to carry on, while their leader was missing and possibly deactivated.

“Just a few more jumps,” he murmured softly before doing a final sweep and then returned to his little son.

He saw that Valour looked sleepy but seemed determined to remain awake. Optimus blew air out of his intakes, he really didn’t think he could handle an unhappy Sparkling. So he did the only think he could think of, which was to sit by Valour and sing him a soft lullaby. One about staying together no matter what. 

“I’ll always stand by your side, son,” Optimus thought as he continued. “I’ll do anything for you, little one, anything. Just please don’t leave me.”

He finished softly, stroking Valour’s cheek as he slowly slipped into recharge. It was lucky that song was both soothing and slow, otherwise, Valour might not have been tempted into recharge. He sighed, he really needed some recharge himself.

Lying back on the berth, he activated an internal alarm to wake him just before the final Warp ended so he could reprogram the computer to take them to a new destination. His body aching all over and his Spark heavy with dread and worry for the future, he slipped off into recharge.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Merry Christmas everyone, enjoy the new chapter.

Ratchet scowled as he watched his three fellow Autobots smash lumps of rock which were clustered around a partially buries Space Bridge. But his animosity was not directed at any of them, despite the fact that one of them was an annoying Youngling with no respect to his elders. No, he was angry for how they were utterly helpless in the role of Space Bridge Technicians and were stuck on this Primus forsaken asteroid.

If they’d been Elite Guard, they would have had the equipment and the resources to go after their leader who been captured by the fragging Decepticons. He’d nobly but damn foolishly sacrificed himself so that the rest of them could escape the Decepticon’s attack. He’d fought so well but eventually, before his team could help him, he’d been taken down and then taken away.

Ratchet cursed under his breath, he was a veteran of the War and he knew just what could be happening to Optimus at that very moment. What had likely been happening for the past Lunar cycles. The old Medic’s optics closed tight shut, he knew so well that he hadn’t been able to recharge well since the young Prime had been taken, his dreams were just too vivid.

Of course, they’d reported what had happened in the hope that something, anything could be done but it couldn’t. Though the Elite Guard were very concerned by what had happened, they said their hands were tied. They just couldn’t investigate every lone kidnapping performed by the Decepticons, unless of course, someone vitally important was kidnapped.

A Space Bridge Technician, who was also an Elite Guard reject, just didn’t cut it was important enough. It made Ratchet’s fuel lines boil with rage, Prime was no reject, he was just a noble idiot who’d taken for the fall for another Mech who didn’t even have the decency to speak up in Optimus’s defence.

No one was going to try and help Optimus.

So for the past few Luna cycles, they’d been forced to just carry on with their job, clearing and maintaining Space Bridges. But without their leader, it was close to pure torture. Without him there to cheer them up, to encourage them to do their best, to tell them how important their work actually was......

Well, needless to say, things weren’t going well.

“Can we stop for a break?” Bulkhead suddenly asked, pausing in his smashing of a particularly large boulder.

They were all looking at Ratchet, he had unofficially taken over as leader although no one ever referred to him as that. And frankly, he didn’t want them to, Optimus was still their leader, even if they were never likely to see him again.

“Go right ahead,” Ratchet said, waving a hand, he was busy fixing something from their ship.

“Thanks,” Bulkhead softly, looking almost disappointed that Ratchet hadn’t griped at him.

But Ratchet just didn’t have the energy to shout and yell, there just didn’t seem like any point.

“You guys want anything?” Bulkhead now asked, turning to Bumblebee and Prowl.

“I’m good,” Prowl said, folding his arms and half turning away.

Since Optimus had been taken, Prowl had steadily been withdrawing into himself, becoming more and more depressed. Ratchet was exceedingly concerned but just didn’t know what he could do for the CyberNinja.

“Um, I’ll fuel later,” Bumblebee now said after a moment’s hesitation.

Normally, the young Mech was always up for getting out of work and having some Energon but apparently, he felt so nauseous all the time that he was having trouble to refuel. Ratchet was even more worried about him, but once again, had no idea what he could do. It wasn’t as though he could conjure Optimus out of a vacuum.

“I don’t want anything,” Ratchet said tiredly as Bulkhead shot him a questioning look.

“But you guys shouldn’t go without fuel, we’re no good to anyone if we collapse on the job.”

“We’re no good to anyone stuck here, especially to Optimus,” Bumblebee burst out loudly causing a deathly silence to fall.

Prowl sighed very heavily.

“There’s nothing we can do for him,” he said, very quietly.

“Why the slag not?” Bumblebee almost screamed, flinging his pickaxe down and stamping his foot.

“What good are we just rusting away on this Primus forsaken asteroid, we should be out looking for him?”

“And where would we look?” Prowl asked harshly, his temper finally snapping.

“We have absolutely no idea where Optimus could be, none whatsoever. And even, if by some incredible chance, we came across him, how would we free him? We wouldn’t, and his sacrifice would have been for nothing when we ended up as slaves as well.”

There was another, ringing silence.

“So you think he’s a Con slave?” Bumblebee demanded, still angry but much more deflated than he had been previously.

“It’s highly likely,” Ratchet answered gruffly before Prowl could say anything.

“He’s not important enough, at least in position to warrant a ransom demand. And it would be a waste to deactivate him, so I think he’s still alive. But.....”

He broke off, turning away from them as memories washed over him, each grimmer than the last.

“So....,” Bumblebee said hesitantly but determinedly. “What do you think has happened to him?”

Ratchet sighed heavily but knew he had to tell them what he thought. Better a harsh blow now than a festering worry which could morph into something worse. He had to say something, try to help them understand.

“He’s a very good looking Mech,” he said quietly. “He will likely be taken as a slave for his looks rather than his work ability.”

This was true, if a Mech like Bulkhead had been taken, he would have simply been set to work. Someone like Prowl would perhaps be used for his fighting ability, Cyber Ninja’s were hard to capture and would be a valuable prize. He wasn’t sure about Bumblebee, he’d probably be used as a simple servant, delivering messages and taking care of other such tasks.

But a Mech like Optimus? He was far too good looking to waste on hard labour, fighting or valet chores. His fate would be far worse than any of theirs, especially Ratchet, who would simply be forced to act as a Medic, though he’d be considered valuable.

“And there’s two ways that could turn out,” Ratchet continued. “The first and best way, is if his owner just wants a trophy. That means he’ll have to be waxed up all the time, maybe wear some ornaments and serve his master. But this would mostly include looking pretty and serving Energon and while it’s humiliating, it’s survivable.”

What he meant was, it wouldn’t be too hard for a Mech like Optimus to mentally survive such an experience and he could find ways to cleverly go against his master. Ratchet had met bots who’d been in this position, and while they’d all hated it, recovery had not been that difficult.

“But there’s a worse way this could turn out,” Ratchet said, even grimmer.

“Because the first kind of master would just want Optimus around, maybe have him on his arm to show off but he wouldn’t really be interested in.....touching him. At least not that much. But the second kind of master would.”

“You don’t mean?” Bulkhead said, optics wide as Ratchet nodded.

“I do. He’d use Optimus as an interfacing toy and barely any bots survive such an experience. Especially f their master forces them to Spark for them or even forces them to Bond with them.”

“On no,” Bulkhead said gravely, his expression showing just how horrified he was.

Prowl was standing ram rod straight, his expression hard and cold, no doubt locking in all emotion. But Bumblebee looked like he was about to have a fit.

“You....you think....the boss bot...is....is going to be made a.....?”

“A Decepticon pleasurebot, yeah,” Ratchet said, spitting out the word with a fair amount of venom.

“But...but he might _not _be,” Bumblebee said hopefully. “It could be the first one, we don’t know for sure he’s....that thing.”

It seemed the Youngster couldn’t bring himself to say the name Ratchet had just uttered.

“We don’t know,” Ratchet concurred. “But chances are.....he hasn’t had that much good luck recently....”

“No,” Bumblebee cried out, his optics now watering with oily tears.

“I won’t believe it, I won’t, he’s not...a....a.....he’s just not.”

And he transformed, racing away in a cloud of asteroid dust, leaving the three adult Mechs.

“Poor little guy, he doesn’t want to believe Optimus could be hurt,” Bulkhead observed quietly.

“I think he’s been hoping Optimus has just been in a cell or something, nothing like that.”

“Yeah well, I’m afraid that’s the reality of the situation,” Ratchet said in a defeated tone.

“And there’s nothing we can do about it.”

There was silence again, they had no idea what to say or do now.

_“Guys, get over here quick,”_ Bumblebee’s voice suddenly and unexpectedly yelled over the comm.

They all stared, they hadn’t been expecting Bumblebee to speak to them so soon. Something was up, Bumblebee never got over a sulk or an upset just like that.

_“Kid, what’s happened?”_ Ratchet yelled into the comm. as they started to head in the direction he’d gone.

_“There’s something coming right at us, I think it’s some sort of ship?”_ Bumblebee cried right back.

_“Let’s go,”_ Prowl called as he transformed, he was obviously eager for the distraction and frankly, so was Ratchet.

He transformed and so did Bulkhead and the three of them raced to Bumblebee’s position. And soon they could detect what Bumblebee had seen, there was a small ship rapidly approaching their asteroid. And they had no way of knowing whether it was a friend or enemy.

“It’s a Shuttle,” Prowl cried, seeing Bumblebee had stopped, he was obviously watching the Shuttle as it aimed straight for them.

They transformed right beside the smaller yellow Mech and watched the slightly out of control Shuttle as it came closer and closer. None of them could speak, they just watched as it landed hard and skidded across the asteroid’s surface, finally coming to a screeching halt. Dust and sparks flew everywhere but it seemed the Shuttle was still in fairly good condition.

“Do you think it’s a Con?” Bumblebee asked, an edge to his voice that made Ratchet think the occupants of that Shuttle better hope they weren’t.

“Only one way to find out,” Prowl said, cautiously going closer to the Shuttle which had stopped just a short distance from them.

He examined it closely, looking for its hatch. It was big enough to hold two or three bots fairly comfortable, but not much more. But then he found it and he carefully took out his Ninja style weapons, ready for action. Seeing this, Bumblebee also tensed up but Ratchet didn’t bother, this could be an innocent traveller.

They jumped slightly as the hatch opened but no one appeared. For a moment, they mentally debated if they should enter or call out but then a voice called out from within.

“R-Ratchet?”

“Optimus?” Ratchet cried in total disbelief, his jaw dropping in shock.

Honestly, if Megatron had just appeared and kissed him straight on the mouth before declaring his undying love, Ratchet wouldn’t have been more surprised. As it was, it was a few more moments before he could react.

“Come on,” he yelled, charging right in, not caring if it was some sort of trap.

Prowl and Bumblebee followed, Bulkhead was a little too big for it but he was ready for action. Ratchet’s Spark was beating madly in its casing as he rushed through the outer room into the inner room where he cried out again.

“Optimus!”

There was their lost leader, lying on a berth and covered in fuel and Energon. He weakly raised his head at Ratchet’s cry and smiled, despite the fact he was clearly in pain. Ratchet was over there in an instant, scanning Optimus to determine his most serious injuries.

“Boss.....I can’t believe it,” Bumblebee said, in a dazed tone. “You’re here, you’re really here.”

“Yeah,” Optimus said weakly, fighting to stay awake as his optics travelled to a spot a few feet away.

“R-Ratchet....V-Valour.”

“Valour?” Bumblebee repeated dumbly as Prowl suddenly turned to where Optimus was looking.

He walked over to that spot, which was a medical capsule just as Ratchet got the results of his scan. As his optics widened, Prowl bent down and gently lifted something up for them all to see. As Bumblebee gaped at the sleeping red and blue Sparkling, Optimus coughed and said.

“My son, Valour.”

And with a sigh, fell into status lock.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hope everyone is safe and sound.
> 
> If you enjoyed this, please leave a comment.

“Son?” Bumblebee repeated weakly as Prowl cradled the little Sparkling against his chest.

“That....that can’t be the boss bot’s _Sparkling_......can it?”

“I’m afraid it must be,” Ratchet said grimly as he finished examining the unconscious Autobot. “My scans show he must have given birth less than a cycle ago. And hasn’t received any medical attention.”

Prowl looked up sharply.

“We must get him back to our ship,” he said urgently. “I’ll take care of the Sparkling, Bumblebee, you help Ratchet carry Optimus outside, we can load him into Ratchet then.”

“Right,” Bumblebee said distractedly, tearing his optics away from the Sparkling and focusing on Optimus. “Right, I’ll do that.”

“Gently now,” Ratchet said gruffly as Prowl departed the Shuttle with the Sparkling, to tell Bulkhead what was happening. “That’s it, ease him up.”

As Bumblebee helped to lift their leader, Ratchet murmured encouragement, now wasn’t the time for yelling. The poor little Mech was in shock and no wonder, Ratchet’s grim prediction had come true, or at least, that’s what it looked like. If Optimus had willing given birth to another Mech’s Sparkling, he would not have run away like that, he had obviously escaped.

“I can’t believe it,” Bumblebee said, very subdued as they made their way outside to where Bulkhead was examining the little Sparkling.

“He’s so small,” Bulkhead was just saying in wonderment before spotting his other teammates. “Let me take him.”

In another moment, the large Mech had gently taken Optimus and lifted him into his arms, supporting his whole body carefully. Ratchet gave him an approvingly look before transforming into a medical vehicle. Bumblebee stood back as Bulkhead placed Optimus inside, where Ratchet could scan him some more and decide just what he would do first once they were safely back at their ship.

“We’ll follow,” Prowl announced, turning to Bumblebee and saying. “Bumblebee, I need you to stay with me and help look after this Sparkling, I need to make sure this Shuttle isn’t being tracked.”

“Okay,” Bumblebee croaked, still staring as Ratchet and Bulkhead set off.

Both Mechs headed back into the Shuttle, it was of a very good design and actually looked new. It also appeared very well equipment, Prowl could see storage for Energon that would keep it very fresh, causing him to be silently impressed. The little Sparkling was still sleeping in his arms and he turned to face Bumblebee only to find him staring at the berth they’d found Optimus on.

“Bumblebee,” he said softly and the yellow Mech jumped, looking at Prowl with watery optics.

“They....they really hurt him,” he whimpered, taking in the stained berth that still had fresh energon and oil on it.

“They did,” Prowl agreed quietly. “But we should not dwell on that, he’s back with us now and we’ll take care of him.”

“We won’t let them hurt him again,” Bumblebee said suddenly fiercely and Prowl didn’t dissuade this notion. Somehow, he suspected this was only the beginning of Optimus’s troubles.

“Can you hold this Sparkling while I check out the main computer?” Prowl now asked, hoping to distract the angry Autobot.

“Um,” Bumblebee said, successfully distracted as he stared at the tiny bundle.

“You think I can?”

“Just have a seat and hold him like I’m doing, you’ll be fine,” Prowl said in a kind tone, indicating another berth that wasn’t stained.

Bumblebee sat delicately down as though the berth would fall apart and loosely held out his arms. Prowl bent and gave the Sparkling to Bumblebee before helping him to sit back and hold him. Prowl lightly stroked the little helm, making sure this Valour was definitely asleep before heading to the front of the Shuttle.

Bumblebee just sat there, mulling things over. He’d been so desperately hopeful that wherever the boss bot was, he wasn’t suffering. But this clearly wasn’t the case, not if this Sparkling was anything to go by. He glanced down at the little guy who was drooling slightly in his sleep.

Normally, Bumblebee would have been horrified and disgusted to see this but his emotions were swirling too much for him to care. He just stared down at the little form that so strongly resembled their Prime. At least colour wise, the Sparkling was too young to really resemble his Creators form, nearly all Sparklings looked the same when they were first Sparked.

They had tiny little arms and legs with a long, slightly fat body. The biggest part of them was their head, making the rest of them seem undersized and of course, this meant their optics appeared enormous. The exception to this description where flyers they were born with tiny little wing nubs which soon grew into overly large butterfly like wings.

It was only when Sparklings reached their third Sparkling cycle that they started to form properly into the type of bot they would be. Before then, they just grew bigger, their limbs slowly growing into proportion with the rest of their body. Bumblebee knew quite a few Sparklings from back home, though he hadn’t interacted with any in quite a long time.

When he’d been about to go off to Cybertron to train as an Elite Guard, he’d felt himself too grown up to hang around Sparklings and Younglings. But he always remembered having a good time when he played with them, although he’d never been properly involved in looking after them.

He wondered how different it would be with this Sparkling....Valour?

After all, unless he was very much mistaken, Valour was only half Autobot, the other half was Decepticon. At this thought, Bumblebee felt the slow burn of rage as he remembered what those monsters had done to Optimus, the pain they must have put him through.

Unconsciously, his grip began to tighten on the Sparkling, making it mumble and shift. Luckily, this was enough to snap him out of his building anger and focus once again on Valour. The little one’s face was screwed up with discomfort so he relaxed his grip and tried to rock him a little.

This seemed to help but Valour still wasn’t as settled as he had been before. Not wanting to end up with a bawling Sparkling, he hissed in the direction Prowl had gone.

“Prowl......Prowl, he’s starting to wake up.”

“Just comfort him,” was the reply he received. “I’ll be there in a few moments.”

Bumblebe frowned down at the grousing Sparkling, wondering how he could do that. Shifting his grip slightly, he started to lightly stroke Valour’s head, hoping that would be enough to calm him. To his surprise, it seemed to work, the little Sparkling started to settle down in his arms again. He sighed with relief, he felt too stressed to deal with a crying Sparkling.

“How is he?” a voice said from right beside him and he jumped in fright, staring annoyed at Prowl.

“Fine,” he groused, hoping Prowl was going to take the Sparkling.

Prowl ignored his tone and said conversationally.

“This is a good Shuttle, as far as I can tell, there’s nothing tracking us. It would appear this Shuttle was designed to evade any and all detection. And I would deduce by its newness, the Decepticons haven’t managed to install any safeguards yet.”

“So, they won’t be able to find us?” Bumblebee said hopefully but Prowl just looked grave.

“Perhaps but we will have to prepare, it would not be wise to linger here. As soon as Ratchet deems Optimus ready, we will leave this place and seek a safe haven. We must help Optimus hide from his Sparkling’s Sire, whoever that may be.”

Bumblebee shivered.

“I can’t imagine any Mech doing that to the boss bot.”

“But they have,” Prowl said in finality, holding his arms out for the Sparkling. “And now he needs our help and support Bumblebee, if Valour is to grow up as an Autobot.”

Bumblebee nodded as he handed the Sparkling back to Prowl. Prowl hummed as he tucked the Sparkling into his arms, before wrapping a warm blanket around him. He did something funny with the blanket which meant Valour was securely attached to his chest so that Prowl only needed one arm to support him.

“Come on, let’s go,” Prowl said kindly as Bumblebee slid off the berth.

They walked back in silence to the Ark, each wrapped up in their own thoughts. Valour continued sleeping though he was squirming a bit now in Prowl’s blanket sling. Bumblebee wondered how Optimus was, he’d seemed so badly injured and in a lot of pain.

“So?” Ratchet said when they finally got back, he was bending over Optimus who appeared to be recharging.

“I don’t think anyone is tracking him, that Shuttle was built for subterfuge but it seems the Decepticons didn’t have time to place safe guards. Prime appears to have stolen it before this could happen,” He said this with a grim smile of triumph.

“Good, but they’ll be looking for him,” Ratchet said with a growl. “I don’t know who the Sire is yet but something in ma fuel line tells me he’s important.”

As Bulkhead and Bumblebee looked very upset at this, Prowl now said softly.

“How is Prime, will he be fit for travel?”

“He should be but he’ll need to rest,” Ratchet said, glancing at the Ninja bot. “It’ll take time for him to get over what he’s been through, we can’t let him be under any sort of stress.”

“I......I’ll babysit for him,” Bumblebee offered feebly, not knowing what else to say.

As Bulkhead and Prowl smiled, Ratchet said seriously.

“You’ll need to, it’s unbelievably stressful bringing up a Sparkling, even more so if you’re on your own. There’ll be cycles when all Optimus wants to do is give up entirely, that’s when he’ll need our support the most.”

“He’ll have it,” Prowl began but at that moment, Optimus groaned loudly and started to stir.

“Damn stubborn.....,” Ratchet grumblebed as he turned back to his patient.“Pass me the Sparkling, the sight will help calm him.”

Prowl obeyed, gently handing over Valour who yawned widely but didn’t wake up. It was just as well Ratchet had him because a moment later, Optimus had come on-line in complete panic, his head twisting from side to side frantically.

“Where is my Sparkling? Where is he?” he yelped, his optics blazing with confusion and anger.

“Here he is,” Ratchet said calmly, offering the sleeping Sparkling to his Creator.

The Prime’s optics fell on Valour and he instantly snatched him into his arms, though somehow managing to be gentle about it. He cradled the little one against his chest, who seemed to be in an even deeper sleep now that he was with his Creator again. Optimus’s whole body relaxed as he smiled down at his son, safe in the knowledge that they were safe.

“He’s a healthy Sparkling,” Ratchet now assured Optimus gruffly. “You’re a lucky Mech.”

“I know,” Optimus said softly. “You know, when I found out I was going to have him, I didn’t care who his Sire was, I just knew I wanted to do all in my power to protect him.”

“Who is his Sire?” Bumblebee couldn’t help but ask, even though he got stern looks from Prowl and Ratchet.

Optimus gave a bitter laugh.

“Here’s a clue, you’ve all heard of him.”

“What?” Bumblebee said in confusion as Prowl frowned.

But as Ratchet’s optics widened in realisation, Bulkhead said slowly in horror.

“You don’t....you don’t mean _Megatron,_ do you?”

As Optimus smiled grimly, Bumblebee yelped.

“What!? The Slag Maker himself Sparked you up?”

“Yes,” Optimus said, his voice a bit tight. “He liked the look of me and took me to his berth and sometime later, I was sparked up.”

He gave another, bitter laugh.

“He was so happy, so proud, so damn _smug.”_

His face contorted in disgust and anger as waves of memories washed over him. He looked up to see Bumblebbe who appeared to be trying to hold his Energon down and his face softened. The poor Youngling wouldn’t understand any of this, making him deeply regret the young Autobot had to learn about it at all.

He was a member of Optimus’s team and as such, Optimus would do everything in his power to protect him, both mentally and physically. He knew he’d probably have to talk about what had happened to him, to Ratchet in particular.

“It’s alright Bumblebee,” he said gently, lightly stroking his son’s cheek. “It wasn’t.......easy but I’m away from him now. I won’t allow him to hurt any of us ever again.”

Flashback

_“Such a feisty little Autobot.”_

_“Get the hell away from me Megatron.”_

_Laughter._

_“My, my, Carrying has made you so feral......I like it.”_

_“Frag you.”_

_“Hmm, maybe as a special anniversary gift, little Prime.”_

_Snarls of anger and more laughter, deep mocking laughter._

_“Never mind little Prime, another time. Now, have you taken your evening Energon.”_

_A growl._

_“What was that, little Prime?”_

_“I said yes.”_

_“Good, I wouldn’t want my heir to suffer from malnourishment, he will grow up into a fine Decepticon warrior.”_

_“If it’s a Mech.....”_

_“Oh, it will be, little Prime, I have a good feeling about this.”_

_Dark mutterings._

_“You know.....it’s such a shame we can’t interface until my son is born........_

_“Such a shame.”_

_More mocking laughter._

_“Indeed. Well, there are other ways we can enjoy ourselves.”_

_“The frag......Don’t you touch me there.”_

_“What’s the matter, you always complain I just take what I want. Now, I’m giving you some attention and pleasure.”_

_“I get no pleasure from having your filthy hands touching.....ahh!”_

_“You liked that, little Prime, when I squeeze you like so....”_

_“Uh....slag it.....let me go.”_

_“Not when you’re enjoying it so much.”_

_“I’m NOT.....!”_

End of Flashback.

But of course, Megatron never listened to him, he just laughed and did what he liked. That incident involved him playing with Optimus’s Spike, trying to force him to overload from stimulation by hand. He’d never use his mouth on Optimus, the Prime wasn’t worthy enough for that.

“We won’t let him hurt you,” Bulkhead said softly but seriously. “He’ll have to get through me first.”

“And me,” Prowl said calmly, his voice holding promise.

“Me too,” Bumblebee said loudly and firmly as Ratchet slowly nodded.

“You can count on me,” he said quietly, not needing to be as loud as the others.

Optimus smiled as he held his son close.

“I know.”


End file.
